Monday, 14 May 2012

More Mummy Mania!

The sunny weekend meant that I had lots of quality painting time and I've moved things forward with my Tomb King base.

I finished painting the mummies and turned to the ground, pigments in hand. I used a mix of MIG Pigments (Gulf War Sand and Dark Mud) mixed with water and applied as a wash. As it dried I added more pigment here and there to build up the intensity. I love how the pigments dry out to a dusty matt finish - very appropriate for a desert setting.

Next up were the 'cobwebs' and doing this felt like I was taking a great big fiddly risk! I unpicked the cotton wool from a cotton bud and fixed it into place with PVA glue using a paint brush. The trick seems to be to use the very smallest amount of cotton and to build up the effect very gradually. The initial look is very white but this lessens as the PVA dries fairly clear. Once dry I added a little pigment and sand to dirty up the cobwebs a then layered on a few more strands of cotton wool. It took nerves of steel to use this effect as it felt like I was making a terrible mess at the time but I'm very pleased with the end result.

The giant scarab beetles (from the GW Necrosphinx kit) were a lot of fun to paint! There are a few small touches left to do but it's nearly ready for the Tomb King himself.

3 comments:

This continues to be one of the greatest bases I have ever seen. The Tomb King himself has a lot to live up to!

I've never heard of this particular method for doing web before, but the results speak for themselves, I may have to try it some time with my vampires or Warhammer Quest scenery. Thanks for the detailed rundown!

It took nerves of steel to use this effect as it felt like I was making a terrible mess at the time but I'm very pleased with the end result.

Actually, PVA doesn't really bond to painted surfaces very well (it really needs something porous to give a strong bond). It's strong enough to attach something like this, but if you don't like the result, you can usually wash it off with a bit of warm water. Of course, this might screw up dry pigments, other things on the mini that you've attached with PVA, or the like. But I've done that a few times to get rid of snow effects that didn't come out the way I wanted them.

So you don't need to worry too much about making a mess attaching things with PVA, unless you have other things on your model that will be ruined by rinsing it off in warm water.

Who is Sproket?

I’m a Graphic Designer and Illustrator, now retired, who has become a full time hobbyist. With the exception of a few years where I dropped out of the hobby I’ve been painting minis since I was in my teens. Over the years I've won a few trophies for my painting and four Slayer Swords but my quest to grow and develop as a painter continues - there is always something new to learn!